Featured Posts | Vikings

By Judd Zulgad |

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson reportedly suffered sprain of AC joint in left shoulder on this play

Justin Jefferson
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) runs a pass play during the NFL football team’s training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

The Vikings will be without Justin Jefferson for a yet-to-be determined amount of time after the wide receiver suffered a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder Friday during practice at TCO Performance Center. Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted out the information as the Vikings were wrapping up for the day.

Jefferson was injured on the play you can watch below when he made a diving catch of a Kirk Cousins pass and then slammed down on his left shoulder. Jefferson took a hit from cornerback Bashaud Breeland as he made the catch. Jefferson was down for about a minute as the Vikings’ athletic trainers checked on him. He then got up and walked to the locker room for further examination.

A source told Schefter it was “nothing serious,” but there will be further testing this weekend. AC joint sprains are graded on scales of 1, 2 and 3. A player can return from a Grade 1 sprain in one or two weeks. Grade 2 sprains take three to four weeks to heal and Grade 3 sprains typically heal in about six weeks.

Jefferson is coming off a marvelous rookie season in which the first-round pick had 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games.